Christmas Flower
by Drake Clawfang
Summary: Christmas-themed Cleris minific. Cloud is one of a trio of successful attorneys, Aerith is a homeless flower girl society forgot. When Cloud finds her asleep in an alley one chilly December night and takes her to his apartment, sparks fly between them.
1. Chapter 1: Cloud

**It's funny how stories can take on lives of their own. This started as an idea for a short oneshot based on a song called "The Little Match Girl", and grew into a longer oneshot, and now a small mini-fic. Enjoy!**

Christmas Flower

Chapter 1: Cloud

"They're only a gil," Aerith whispered, holding a small, slightly frostbitten blossom. The man in the brown coat ignored her in the bustle of the street and kept walking, talking into his cell phone and not even sparing her a glance. Aerith sighed and took back her hand, placing the small flower back into the basket on her arm. She had worked hard to take care of these flowers, protecting them from the cold in the hopes the sight of a somewhat fresh flower would sell better than a flower covered in frost. Apparently, she was wrong.

"Please, just one, they're a gil each," Aerith called out hoarsely, trying to catch the attention of anyone who would listen. Someone bumped her hip, and Aerith cried out as she fell, sending her basket and flowers scattering in the snow. Aerith winced and reached out for the basket. A boot came out of nowhere, kicked it and kept walking. The flower girl watched as the wind blew the basket into the street, and a car zoomed by and reduced it to a series of wicker fibers. Aerith groaned and turned back to see her flowers trampled into the snow by the crowd. She stood and clutched her one-size too small red jacket closer around herself, shivering violently in the air of the night. It was late, and the crowds had been thinning for the last few hours.

Reaching down to gather the few flowers that hadn't been destroyed, Aerith clutched them to her chest and brushed the snow from them. She tucked them in the pocket of her tattered, dirty blue jeans and stood. Blowing on her hands to warm them, Aerith made her way down the street and ducked into an alley. The true outlaws and criminals came out at this time, and she had no desire to be out when they came around. She wandered down to a dumpster, and leaned up on tiptoe to peek inside. Nothing. Another night without a meal. Not that what she scrounged up could be considered meals anyway…

With a small whimper, Aerith sat down beside the dumpster, shivering again. She slid a hand into the pocket of her jeans and withdrew a small, worn photo of a woman in a red sweater holding a child with light brown hair. She pressed quivering lips to the picture.

"Good night, mama."

Aerith placed the photograph back and curled up, leaning against the side of the dumpster. She fell asleep to the inconsistent lullaby of her own chattering teeth and shaky breaths of dry air.

* * *

"As you can see, the foliage in the area was damaged long before Shinra came and set up our drilling plant in the forest," Rufus Shinra lectured, waving a hand at the photographs on the table that Cloud was fairly sure had been doctored. All the same, he made a show of picking up one and examining it.

"So these allegations of environmental harm are false," he said carefully, lifting blue eyes to watch Rufus. He knew they were true, everyone knew that Shinra's drilling plants caused heavy environmental damage wherever they were built. But it wasn't his place to prove who was guilty, if he had wanted that Cloud would have become a prosecutor. No, his job was a defense attorney. Cloud had pursued the career under the impression he could help the innocent avoid false accusations. Now it seemed he helped the unlawful avoid rightful justice.

"Completely false, Shinra has made every attempt to preserve the Nibel Forest as best we can, these extremists are irrational fools," Rufus agreed. "But I'm sure an attorney of your caliber can see this."

"Yeah," Cloud muttered. "Well, Mr. Shinra, your case seems valid and winnable. Of course, you understand I'll have to discuss it with my colleagues before we take it, nothing personal, but that's how we operate."

"Yes yes, please discuss it," Rufus nodded, rising. "Here is my card, call me if there's anything you wish to ask me." Rufus pulled a small business card from his pocket and held it out. Cloud extended his hand, and Rufus patted the card into his palm. "Call when you are satisfied and we can discuss your fee, hm?" Rufus drew his hand back, and Cloud looked down at the business card, turning his hand to look at the thousand gil note that the vice president had folded up under it.

"I do not take bribes, Mr. Shinra," Cloud said, glaring slightly. "I assure you I am aware of Shinra's profit margins."

"Then you know what type of fee we would be willing to pay," Rufus smiled. "As for that, consider it…a mere charitable donation. Good evening, Mr. Strife."

Cloud nodded and dropped the card and the note into his pocket, turning and walking out of the boardroom. He stopped to grab his jacket from the chair in the waiting room and stepped briskly to the elevators, sliding the sleeves over his dark purple dress shirt and black tie. He pushed the button for the elevator and waited as the car came up to the floor. He had been reluctant to work this late on a Saturday, but Sephiroth had been busy with another client and Tifa was out of town for the weekend. It had fallen to him to see Rufus.

The elevator opened on the ground floor, and Cloud walked out of the Shinra building and out into the lightly falling snow. Shivering slightly, he began walking down the street to the parking lot where he had parked three hours ago. Brushing a blond bang from his eyes, he pulled Rufus' business card from his pocket and looked at it as he walked. He wasn't comfortable with handling the Shinra, but the firm hadn't been doing that well the last few months and the Shinra company had money, even if it was acquired through less than moral means.

A gust of wind came up, and Cloud gasped as the card whipped out of his hands and blew down an alleyway. Grumbling, he turned and walked after it. Another gust kicked it further down the alley, and Cloud cried out, running. He stepped down on the card and picked it up, brushing it off. A clicking sound caught his ear, and Cloud lifted his eyes to search for the source. He stepped forward to a dumpster, wrinkling his nose at the stench, and looked around the side.

A young woman lay curled up asleep against the wall, her teeth chattering and her lips quivering. Cloud's mouth fell open. The woman was wearing a red jacket that was way too small for her, over a dirty blouse that may have once been pink, and torn and ripped blue jeans. He kneeled down, shocked that such a woman could be sleeping in such intense cold with such improper clothing for the weather.

"Excuse me, miss?" he said softly, shaking the woman's knee. She didn't respond. Cloud peered closer at her. Had she not been in such a sad state, the woman would actually have been quite pretty, borderline beautiful even. She had a heart-shaped face and pale skin, although that was likely due to the cold. Her hair was light brown and matted with snow and dirt, and hung down her back to an extent Cloud couldn't see. Cloud blushed at the realization he was thinking such a way about this woman in her current state, and shook her a little harder. Still no response.

Cloud stood and thought for a moment. He couldn't leave her here, she was freezing and for all he knew she wouldn't wake up. He couldn't wake her up either and ask if she was okay, she wasn't responsive, and it would be horribly improper to press a bill into her hand or to call an ambulance, or to search her pockets for some next of kin identification. Cloud frowned as he weighed his options. One thing was clear – he couldn't just walk away and leave her here to possibly freeze to death.

Looking back years later, Cloud couldn't quite figure out what possessed him to do what he did. A much more practical and sensible thing to do would have been to wake her up and help her find shelter for the night. But in the end, he did what he did nonetheless. Cloud knelt down and slid an arm under the woman's knees, and the other behind her back. Making sure he had a good grip, Cloud stood up, lifting her off the asphalt. The woman's head fell to his shoulder and her arms hung loose. Cloud looked down at her, waiting for her to awaken. She didn't.

Sighing, Cloud looked around and began walking back to the parking lot.

* * *

Aerith groaned and turned her head over away from the sunlight on her face, whimpering at the realization she had woken up to another day of no food and no sales. Sighing, she snuggled closer under the covers, hoping to fall back asle-

Covers?

Aerith opened her eyes wide as she realized she was neither outside or cold, two reliefs that were just that, and confusing as well. She sat up and jumped out of the bed, looking around in terror. The bed was large enough for one person, with dark red pillows and a black velvet comforter. The small indentation in the mattress beckoned her back, but Aerith ignored it and looked around.

She was in a small bedroom, well-furnished and painted in soft creams and browns. A large dresser lay against the wall with a small TV and a pile of books and folders on it. Another book with a bottle of painkillers and a remote for the TV lay on the table by the bed. Aerith took in the modest luxury with quiet wonder. The bed alone probably cost more than she had earned in her entire life. Aerith looked down and slipped her brown boots over her bare feet, registering someone had taken them off before putting her in the bed.

The door to the bedroom creaked open, and Aerith padded into the hall. Whoever had brought her here had to be around, or at least some clue to their identity had to been here. The hall presented three doors to her, and opened into a larger room at the end. Aerith peered down it but couldn't see much. She pushed open the closest door. A small white and blue washroom. Aerith had to go, but it could wait. She looked at the sink and put an arm through the door to lift and examine a bottle. Shaving gel. Aerith looked up and saw an electric razor on a stand nearby. A man's apartment, then.

Putting the bottle back, Aerith closed the door and opened the next one down the hall. A large study. Two small bookshelves crammed with books that she could see. The ones with the larger print on their spines she could read from where she stood; "Law Through the Ages", and "Common Defenses of the Scoundrel" were two of the titles. A computer with a printer and fax machine lay in the middle of the room on a large wooden desk. Aerith clicked the door shut again, and opened the final door. A linen closet with towels and extra bed sheets. She closed it. Aerith looked down the hall at the front room and walked to the end of the hall.

The hall opened into a spacious living room with two large light brown sofas. One was covered with a light blue blanket, a low snore coming from under it. Aerith stared at it, watching a section of the sheet rise and fall in time with the snores. Perhaps her mysterious benefactor? She resolved to wait before she investigated that, and looked at the room, feeling more nervous and out of place than ever. The entire room spoke of money, practicality and intelligence.

A large entertainment unit held a stack of DVDs and several Blue-Ray disks with a large TV and two disk players on a shelf above. Several framed pictures were on top of the unit some small figurines and other trinkets. There was a glass coffee table with black legs, and a large archway that seemed to connect to the dining room. The room was spacious and well-furnished, and Aerith hugged herself, feeling oddly small in such a place. She turned and noticed something else hanging on the wall.

It was a portrait, three portraits, actually. Three people in dark blue suits stood together in a classical painting. Aerith couldn't identify the style, but the background was a deep brown and black and the three people faded from the torso down. One man had sharp, angular green eyes with long silver bangs and a thin nose and lips. He looked handsome enough, but his expression was hard and cold. Beside him on his left was a young woman with long black hair with dark brown highlights. Her eyes were dark red, and round. She was rather pretty, and was the only person in the picture smiling.

Behind them and between the two people was a young man. He had light blond hair styled into small spikes, lying loose but not messy. His cheeks and chin were chiseled and strong, and he had bright blue eyes. Aerith peered closer. His lips were set in a neutral tone, and he wasn't smiling or frowning. But his eyes…beyond the eyes was something…something Aerith couldn't decipher. Like an inner glow, but with an inner darkness too… She stepped back to get a better look.

Aerith cried out as she stepped on something – a shoe – and stumbled back. Her leg hit the arm of the sofa behind her, and she fell backwards onto the blue sheet. With twin screams of surprise, the two tumbled off the sofa onto the floor. Aerith hit the carpet and grunted indignantly.

"Yuffie, I told you not to do that anymore, I'm going to end up breaking something like that!"

Aerith opened her eyes at the muffled voice coming from underneath the blue sheet beside her. She reached out a small hand to lift the sheet up. Underneath the sheet, a young man rubbed his forehead, his eyes clenched shut. He pushed himself and turned to look at her, and his eyes widened. Aerith stared, unable to help herself. The portrait had come to life.

"Oh…hey," he whispered.

"You…brought me here," Aerith stated, not needing to ask. The man nodded.

"Yeah, this is my place. I'm Cloud." The man held out his hand, and Aerith hesitantly took it.

"Aerith."


	2. Chapter 2: Aerith

Christmas Flower

Chapter 2: Aerith

Aerith sat on the soft brown sofa silently, feeling incredibly out of place, but that feeling was becoming familiar to her. The clock hanging on the wall behind her clicked the seconds by as she clasped her hands on her lap, sitting still as she could. In the kitchen leading off from the dining room, she heard Cloud busy himself as he did…something.

Why was she here? By all accounts she should have been slipping out of the apartment and running while Cloud was distracted. She had no business being here. She couldn't deny it, the handsome and oddly charitable man intrigued her. Why had he helped her, what did he want from her? She had nothing but twenty-three gil, a worn picture and the clothes on her back. She had no place in this penthouse of luxury and respectable tastes, this world of DVDs, televisions, studies and lavish living rooms.

"What do you want to drink?"

Aerith jumped and turned to see Cloud staring at her from the entrance of the dining room. He had still had on dark blue pajamas, but had put on a black robe once he had gotten up. It was then he had asked if she wanted breakfast. Aerith, unable to stop herself from jumping at the idea of a good meal, had said yes.

"Huh?"

"What do you want to drink? I'm having a coffee, if you want something hot. I have cocoa, coffee, tea, orange juice, soda…" Cloud listed and waited. Aerith thought for a moment. Did he expect some answer in particular? Was there a right or wrong answer to this?

"Uh…tea?" she replied, almost asking. Cloud nodded and went back to the kitchen, and Aerith relaxed.

"You can watch TV if you like," Cloud called. Aerith blinked and looked around, spying a black remote on a table beside the sofa. She reached over and took it, staring at it in quiet panic. There had to be a hundred buttons, the device looked more like a calculator than a television remote. Aerith calmly placed it back.

"I'm fine," she said back. Cloud came back with two coffee mugs, one with the telltale string from a teabag hanging from the side. He carefully placed the two on the coffee table and went back to the kitchen. Aerith reached out and picked up her drink, lifting the teabag from the water and watching it drain. She hadn't had tea in…well, come to think of it, she couldn't remember the last time. Her mother drank tea, but she couldn't quite recall if she had ever tried it herself. Cloud came back with two plates, interrupting her train of thought.

"Hope I didn't make too much," he said softly, sitting down on the second sofa. Aerith looked down at her plate and felt her mouth water.

"No…it looks good," she said truthfully. Hashbrowns, three breakfast sausage and a fried egg. Aerith picked up her fork and turned an eye as Cloud began to eat, cutting up one of the sausages and popping it in his mouth. Aerith slowly picked up her fork and speared one of the sausages, holding it up to eye level. Was he actually feeding her?

"I hear if you stare long enough, they sprout eyes and stare back," Cloud said, watching her for a moment. Aerith took a small bite and chewed slowly. She was hungry, of course, starving as she had been for years now. But something in the back of her mind was bothering her. Why was he doing this? He didn't even know her. Aerith took a second bite and tossed a glance at Cloud as he sipped his coffee. He put down the cup and paused for a moment, putting a hand to his mouth and thinking. As she watched, Cloud's eyes darted about the room aimlessly, before he made a small sound and resumed eating. There was a ringing, and Cloud looked up.

"The phone," he said, standing up and crossing to the table. Aerith ate silently as Cloud picked up the receiver. "Hello," he said, bringing it to his ear. "Oh, it's you…really…when? Hold on, I made a note of it, I'll check." Cloud lowered the receiver back to the phone and hit a button on the device. "I'm going to take this in my office, it'll just be a moment," he offered. Aerith nodded as Cloud left the room, and she heard a click from the hall a moment later. Satisfied Cloud was gone, Aerith popped the half-finished sausage in her mouth and stood up. She stepped around the sofa and approached the front door, sliding back the chain lock.

"Aerith." Aerith froze, the door half open, as Cloud emerged from the study. "What's your…" Cloud trailed off as he noticed her slipping out. "What's wrong?" he asked, lowering the cordless phone. Aerith closed her eyes.

"I was just leaving," she replied. "I'm sorry for being a burden." Cloud frowned.

"I'll call you back Yuffie," he muttered, setting the phone inside the door of his office on a bookshelf. "Burden what, now?" he asked, walking towards Aerith. The brunette slowly closed the door as Cloud stopped a few feet from her.

"I appreciate…this. The nice nap and the breakfast. But I can't repay you for any of this, so I'm sorry I'm just mooching off of you."

"Repay? Did I ever say I wanted anything for this?"

"Why else would you help me?" Aerith turned her head to look at him.

"Because I want to," Cloud said honestly. "There are decent people in this world you know. People who offer help to those who need it and don't ask anything in return."

"But why me?" Aerith asked. "You don't know me at all. You know my name and that's it."

"You're right, I don't know a thing," Cloud shrugged. "Feel free to remedy that whenever you like."

"You're incredible," Aerith muttered. "You give me a meal and expect me to tell you my life story?"

"Well if you seem so convinced I'm going to want some sort of repayment for that meal, then yes. Or, if you really want to repay me, you can actually trust me. I don't want to lay a guilt trip on you, but I took you from a cold alleyway, gave you a warm bed, _my_ warm bed, and made you breakfast. I think I've earned trust, if nothing else."

Cloud fell silent, and Aerith stared at him for a moment. He stared at her expectantly, and Aerith realized he was serious. She sobbed and turned away, slamming her forehead against the wall.

"He, hey!" Cloud protested, moving towards her. He put a hand on her shoulder, and felt Aerith's shoulder shake. "I'm sorry," Cloud said, slowly turning her to face him. Aerith held her head down, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"God, I'm such a bitch," she said.

"No you're not," Cloud replied. "Come here." He slowly led her back around the sofa and sat her down. Aerith hiccupped as Cloud turned and picked up a tissue from the table. "Look up," he ordered, placing a hand on her chin. Aerith turned her head up, and Cloud leaned in, wiping off her face. She watched him in confusion, until Cloud finished and balled up the tissue and threw it in a wastebasket nearby.

"I want to know what's going on," Cloud said. "You can walk out that door if you want. But I don't think you want to run from me, do you?"

"Why do you say that?" Aerith turned away. His eyes were too damn distracting for her to focus on his words.

"Because if you did, you would have bolted out that door when I called your name," Cloud explained. "Just…explain it to me. What do you have to hide from me?"

"Just how do you think you can help me?" Aerith asked.

"I can give you a ride home."

"Try the alley where you found me."

"Oh…um, call your relatives?"

"Try the obituaries."

"Oh…I'm sorry." Cloud's shoulder slumped as the true weight of Aerith's situation fell on him. "What happened?" Cloud asked. Aerith let out a sigh and lifted her head, staring off into space.

"I was about…twelve, I think. My dad died when I was little, so it was just mom and me. She did her best, she did, loved me and took care of me, but the bills kept piling up. When I was twelve, she found a way out, so it seemed. Some small-time developer or something wanted to set up a plant in the neighborhood. Don't remember the details, I was a kid. But they offered mom a good settlement and to pay for moving expenses if she sold the home to them. We were going to lose the house anyway, so mom took the offer. The company did pay for moving expenses, alright, moved us to a new home within a few weeks. Mom made an agreement to pay for it once the check for the settlement came."

"So then what?"

"The company didn't give her the settlement, found a legal loophole or something. Whatever they did, mom didn't get a cent, and when we couldn't pay for the house we had to leave. Mom sold most of our stuff trying to get the money to stay, but it didn't help much. We were on the streets and broke."

"What did your mother do?"

"She worked hard, tried to get us back up. I had to drop out of school, no point in going when I had nothing to use, no books or pens or anything. Mom got killed in a gang shootout a few years later. Went down the wrong street on the way to our shelter and was caught in the crossfire."

"So…you've been on your own how long now?" Cloud asked lowly.

"Going on…I think seven or eight years now, once the shelters refused to keep me and I refused to stay with a foster family. Counting mom's death, bump it closer to ten," Aerith replied. Cloud blinked, stunned.

"Ho…how do you…?" he trailed off, unable to finish the question. How could this young woman, who he had found half-frozen in an alley, survived for so long?

"I'm stronger than I look," Aerith said fiercely, turning to look at him.

"Obviously," Cloud agreed. "Sorry, I just don't know what to say to that."

"You don't have to say anything. I know this will sound mean, but you can't possibly understand what I've had to do to live. But I've gotten this far alone, and as much as I really do appreciate your help, in the end it's just a short reprieve. You can't help me, not really."

"There has to be something I could do," Cloud insisted. "I can't just let you walk back out into the streets."

"Why not? I'm not your responsibility," Aerith asked. "How can you help? Can you get me a job, a home, new clothes, a new _life_?" Cloud was silent for a moment, and Aerith stood up. "Thought so."

"Yes."

Aerith looked down at Cloud as he raised his head to look at her.

"I can do those things. I know a few people, I could make some phone calls. Clothes, food? I can help."

"Oh yeah, and you can buy me a house too? I'm still homeless," Aerith said. Cloud nodded his head behind her, and Aerith turned to see a door next to the entertainment unit she hadn't noticed before.

"The guest room is free, have to pull out the spare sheets and pillows but it's there," he said simply. Aerith whirled around, her hair dancing about her shoulders with the motion.

"You're joking, right?" she demanded. "Cloud, breakfast and a night is one thing. But you can't ask me to move in with you."

"I'm not. Just for a few days," Cloud corrected. "I know a friend, he could hire you. It's just, Aerith…I can _help_."

"It's easy to say that Cloud, it's a little harder to do it."

"Then stop telling me I can't and let me try," Cloud insisted. Aerith shook her head slowly.

"You're for real…this is real?" she asked softly. "You…how…" Aerith fell back on the sofa, blinking. "W…why?" she turned to Cloud, who looked away.

"I…" Cloud thought for an answer. Why did he? Because he pitied her, felt obligated, found her attractive? A bit of all three maybe? "I want to," he said simply. "I'm a defense attorney, Aerith. It's my job to help people avoid suffering they don't deserve."

Aerith stared at Cloud, then lunged at him. Cloud tensed as Aerith hugged him from behind, buring her face between his shoulder blades.

"Thank you…"Aerith whispered, her eyes tearing up again. Cloud turned his head.

"My housekeeper comes by on weekdays, she can help you tomorrow, get, uh…"

"Cleaned up?" Aerith suggested.

"Yeah," Cloud admitted, not wanting to offend her. "I'll call Cid later today, he runs a little toy store downtown. It doesn't pay much, but he has really low standards for his workers."

"I still don't understand this," Aerith said. "Last night I fell asleep in an alley, and this morning…"

"You don't have to understand something to appreciate it," Cloud said. Aerith sobbed slightly, not in sadness this time. The two sat in silence for a moment, before Cloud broke the moment.

"Breakfast is getting cold."


	3. Chapter 3: Yuffie

Christmas Flower

Chapter 3: Yuffie

"I'll be back this afternoon," Cloud said, tying up his shoes. "Yuffie is going to be here in about five minutes, she's going to take you out for clothes shopping and other stuff, I guess. She's a little odd, who knows what she has planned?"

"Right," Aerith nodded. The previous day had gone by in a blur. The revelation of having a home, a warm bed, a good meal for dinner and a man who actually cared enough to do these things for her, had left her in a daze. At some point during the day, Cloud had called his housekeeper and arranged for her to spend what she had dubbed 'girl time' with the flower girl.

"Alright, so," Cloud buttoned up his coat and grabbed his briefcase. "Anything else we need to cover before I go?"

"Thank you?" Aerith suggested. Cloud smiled and headed out the door. Aerith watched it click closed and sat down with a sigh on the sofa. She picked up the TV remote – Cloud had shown her how to use it – and turned on the TV. She hadn't watched TV in years, were any of her shows even on the air anymore?

Aerith licked her lips absent-mindedly as she flipped the channels for the next several minutes, trying to find anything to hold her interest. She sighed and turned off the TV, standing up. There was a clicking, and Aerith turned to the door to the apartment. The door opened and a young girl came in. She had short black hair with a hair band and a bright yellow jacket with black jeans.

"Yo!" she called. "Hey, you must be Aerith! I'm Yuffie."

"Uh…hi," Aerith said slowly. Yuffie came over to her and looked her over.

"Hm….oh yeah, she can work with this, definitely," she nodded. "You got a jacket? Ah who cares, we're taking a cab anyway."

"Yeah, clothes, right?" Aerith nodded. Yuffie lifted an eyebrow.

"Clothing, ha! You're funny."

"Huh?"

"Aerith honey, you think Da Vinci slapped a single coat of paint on the Sistine Chapel and called it a job? No!"

"Da Vinci didn't paint the Sistine Chapel," Aerith said.

"Whatever, come on, I'm calling a cab, grab the coat and the boots and let's go."

"Where are we going if not shopping?" Aerith asked, walking to the hall and grabbing her boots. Behind her, Yuffie pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

"The edge of paradise, Aerith. The edge of paradise."

* * *

"The Edge of Paradise?" Aerith asked, craning her head up to look at the sign over the double doors of the store before them. "What is this place?"

"It's a day spa. We're gonna turn you into a princess," Yuffie explained.

"Yuffie, I may not be used to this sort of life, but I do know Cloud just wanted you to help me get some clothes, he said nothing about a day spa."

"Oh, god," Yuffie groaned, slapping her forehead. "Aerith, let me explain something to you." Yuffie held out her arms to either side. "This is the size of Cloud's heart," she said. She brought her hands closer together. "This is the size of Cloud's brain, and this," Yuffie brought up a hand and held two fingers apart, squinting through them, "is how much common sense he has when it comes to us ladies. Are we communicating?"

"No."

"Cloud hasn't had a girlfriend since the Clinton administration, and he got less action then they did too. He has no idea how to treat a girl, fortunately I do. Now come on in, I'm freezing here."

Aerith nodded and followed Yuffie through the doors. The lobby of the spa was whites and pinks with red, with a small fountain with rocks and a lily pond in the corner. Soft violin music played over speakers. At the rear of the lobby, a woman in a red dress stood at a counter with a computer. She looked up as Yuffie approached and gasped.

"Yuffie, darling!" she gushed, coming around the desk.

"Scarlet, always a pleasure," Yuffie grinned, hugging the woman.

"Shall we be having the usual today, hm?" Scarlet asked.

"Nope, this is for my new buddy," Yuffie said, jerking a thumb at Aerith. Scarlet finally noticed the flower girl and her eyes widened.

"Oh my god," she whispered, approaching Aerith. Aerith looked at her nervously as Scarlet circled her, looking at her wide-eyed. "That hair, the eyes, those hips…" Scarlet stopped in front of her and put her hands on Aerith's shoulders. "Honey, what's your name?"

"Aerith."

"Aerith, I don't say this to everyone; you're gorgeous."

"Uh-huh?" Aerith muttered, lifting an eyebrow.

"You're what we call "The Last Supper". You're beautiful, you've just got a bit of dirt on you thanks to years of neglect. What we are going to do is scrub that dirt off and spruce you up."

"What is with you people and the art metaphors?" Aerith asked, looking back at Yuffie quizzically. Yuffie and Scarlet shared a smile.

"She's cute, tell Cloud he found a keeper," Scarlet said, turning back to Aerith. "Alright, Yuffie take her in, Elena is the one working with her."

"Right," Yuffie said, taking Aerith's hand and leading her through a door beside the counter. "First things first, you get out of those old rags and into a nice bath. Then we gotta talk hair, because the long look works for you but there's still a lot to do with that…"

* * *

"And they are not telling the truth?" Sephiroth asked, putting a hand to his chin. Cloud shook his head.

"Those photographs were clearly doctored, but that's not a surprise Sephiroth, you know the entire city is aware of the damage Shinra is doing to the outlying areas and forests."

"True, but intuition is not to be confused with fact, Cloud," Sephiroth replied. Cloud nodded. The firm of Faremis, Strife and Lockhart were known for its triple threat team. Sephiroth Faremis, the eldest of the group, was also the coldest and most professional. He wasn't at all antisocial, but he focused on his work and getting the job done. Tifa Lockhart was more concerned with the emotional aspects of the clients, and worked closely with them to try and make the case easy for them to handle. Cloud, according to others occupied a comfortable middle ground between professionalism and sentimentality.

Cloud and Tifa had met each other as kids and gone through high school together. When they went to the same university, they had met Sephiroth, a year ahead of them. The man took a disliking to Cloud when the blond had outscored him on an exam and attained the highest mark in the class, and they developed into rivals soon after. Eventually, Sephiroth seemed to find promise in the idea of being Cloud's associate rather than opponent, and upon graduation he had invited Cloud to take up his father's law firm that the elder was vacating. Cloud agreed on the condition Tifa come as well, and the firm commonly abbreviated F.S.L. was born.

"Sephiroth, we can't turn a blind eye here. I'm meeting with Rufus again soon and he's going to want an answer."

"I would care to know more about Shinra's business practices in detail before we make a final decision. Can we acquire records of the people they have done business with in the public? We need a closer look at how Shinra has gone about expanding their empire."

"Shinra has bought a great deal of land to build Mako reactors on," Cloud agreed. "I'll ask Rufus for some sort of documentation so we can speak to the people."

"Excellent," Sephiroth mused. "So otherwise, how was your weekend?"

"Um…"Cloud hesitated for a moment. "I met someone."

"Oh? A woman, I presume," Sephiroth replied, standing and crossing over to the filing cabinet in the corner of the room. Cloud grunted. Rumors had circulated in the university that Sephiroth was a homosexual. As he had explained it to Cloud, Sephiroth was straight, but he was simply uninterested in women. He saw them as a bother, of course he noticed when a woman was attractive, but he paid her no mind otherwise.

"Yeah, her name is Aerith," Cloud said. "She's…a street person." Sephiroth turned from the filing cabinet.

"Hmph. I must admit I was not expecting that," the silver-haired lawyer said. "I imagine she is attractive?"

"Yeah…how did you know that?" Cloud asked.

"I know you, that's how," Sephiroth smirked, turning back to the filing cabinet.

"Hey, I'm just doing her a favor," Cloud defended. "It's not like that. Yuffie is out with her shopping right now."

* * *

"Ow, OW!" Aerith shrieked, wincing. Behind her, Elena rolled her eyes and stopped running the comb through Aerith's hair.

"Suck it up, you wanna look good you gotta suffer some," she replied. Aerith turned around slightly from the bath Yuffie and Elena had dumped her in. Her hair lay on the edge of the tub in a bucket of hot water. Jets in the tub massaged her as Elena worked water, shampoo and the comb through her matted and filthy hair.

"Aerith, don't you want to see how pretty you are?" Yuffie teased, flipping through a magazine nearby. Aerith turned her head to her.

"Can't we just give me a bath and get out of here?" she asked. Elena let out a small cry of indignation.

"A bath? Oh my god," she said, going back to combing. "Alright, now that we can actually see what we have here, I don't think you'll need a haircut. The long look can work for you, but we gotta talk style."

"I wore it in a braid when I was a kid…" Aerith said. Elena looked her over and nodded.

"Yup, I can do that," she replied. "Now once I finish here we're gonna get you out of that bath and dry you off. We've got a pedicure and manicure waiting for you in five minutes, then we have to talk face and make up."

"Are you serious?" Aerith gasped. "I don't need all this luxury, Yuffie!"

"I have to disagree," Yuffie replied. "One other thing, Aerith, you aren't wearing those rags home. We aren't going to clean you up and dirty you down again, they're gone."

"Not the jacket!" Aerith cried. "It's all I have left from my mother, she bought it for me." Yuffie picked up the small red jacket from the small bin with Aerith's clothes nearby, and looked it over.

"Hm, a few stitches, a dry cleaning…no problem," she nodded.

"So if I can't wear my clothes home, what am I gonna wear?"

"Waaaay ahead of ya," Yuffie grinned, walking out of the bathing area. "I asked Scarlet to help with that," she called. She reappeared a moment later and held up a clear plastic bag. "Ta-da!"

"That was Scarlet's?" Elena asked, looking up at it as she worked her fingers through Aerith's hair.

"It's Aerith's now, Scarlet outgrew it," Yuffie shrugged, looking at the dress.. "Looks like it'll fit. Might be a little tight on the hips though."

"Well fitting will have to wait until later, I'm done with the washing," Elena said. "Hold still," she ordered. Aerith closed her eyes as Elena retrieved a hairdryer and switched it on, blasting Aerith's hair. "We nice and clean in there?" she asked over the roar.

"I guess," Aerith said.

"Alright, we can dry as we paint, let's go," Elena said. Aerith climbed out of the tub and started shivering. Elena handed her a fluffy white towel and got a large white bathrobe from the wall as Aerith dried off. Elena looked between Aerith and the dress in Yuffie's hands. "Gotta admit, that'll flatter your figure well," she mused. "And the color blends with the hair nicely, good contrast."

"Thanks," Aerith blushed. Elena handed her the robe and Aerith slipped it on, pulling her hair out from under the cotton. "Alright, Yuffie you know where we're going, you lead I'll dry." Aerith blushed as Yuffie led Aerith out of the room as Elena followed her, blasting her hair with the hair dryer, a comb in her other hand.

"Are we almost done?" Aerith asked, not feeling comfortable with Elena doing this. Yuffie turned to her and grinned.

"Naaaaah," she cried. "We're just getting started."


	4. Chapter 4: Cid

Christmas Flower

Chapter 5: Tifa

"Can I open my eyes now?"

"No."

Aerith sighed and kept her eyes shut as Yuffie lead her by the hand off the elevator of Cloud's apartment building. Yuffie had made her keep her eyes closed once they had finished up with the day spa. Yuffie had let her get dressed, then had her close her eyes while Elena styled her hair and did her make-up while her red jacket was being washed. Yuffie had been gracious enough to let Aerith examine the garment – someone had done a good job of stitching up the rips and holes, and it had been cleaned well too.

"Why do I have to keep my eyes closed anyway?" Aerith asked as Yuffie stopped her in front of the door to Cloud's apartment.

"I've got a surprise for you," Yuffie replied, unlocking the door. It swung open and Yuffie pulled Aerith into the apartment, kicking the door shut behind her and taking her into the bathroom.

"Wait, let me get my boots off!" Aerith protested.

"Too important," Yuffie said, positioning Aerith in front of the mirror. "Alright-y, open your eyes," she ordered. Aerith sighed and opened her eyes a touch, worried about what she would see. She looked at the mirror, and her eyes went wide as she beheld what Elena had done to her.

"Oh my…god…" she whispered, lifting a hand to her cheek. "Is that…me?"

"Scarlet told ya you were gorgeous," Yuffie smirked.

"But…this…" Aerith looked down at herself, and the slightly tight but modest dress Scarlet had generously donated to her clinging to her underneath her repaired red jacket. "Yuffie, this isn't me."

"It is now," Yuffie said, soft but firm. "Aerith, do you want to go back to how you used to be?"

"What kind of question is that?" Aerith asked, fingering the bangs framing her face. "Yuffie, two days ago I was sleeping next to a dumpster in a snowstorm."

"And now you're in the apartment of a handsome, successful lawyer after coming back from a spa," Yuffie finished. "Aerith, live this up! You are literally sitting in the lap of upper-middle class luxury!"

"Yuffie, this isn't going to last forever," Aerith said, turning to her.

"Then enjoy it now! Come on, the first good thing that you get in years, have some fun with this."

Aerith thought for a moment, and smile slid across her face.

"You're right…" she whispered, turning around. "Yuffie, you're absolutely right!"

"Duh," Yuffie muttered, tossing a bang out of her eyes. "Come on, Cloud's got a big DVD collection if you wanna watch a movie."

"Sure, that'd be nice," Aerith nodded. Yuffie left the bathroom and led Aerith out to the living room. She knelt down in from of the entertainment unit and ran a finger along the edges of the movie cases.

"Alright, what do we watch?" Yuffie asked.

"Yuffie, the last time I watched a movie, it was before DVDs were even on the market," Aerith replied. "Just put on something with a cute guy in it and I'll be fine."

"Cute guy, huh?" Yuffie replied, looking over the movies. "Alright then, if you get a cute guy I get fight scenes, only fair." Yuffie slid a DVD case out from the shelf and clicked it open, removing the disk. There was a knock at the door, and Yuffie rolled her eyes and set the DVD down. Aerith watched as she opened the door and groaned.

"Today?" she muttered.

"The tenant said to bring them up today, yeah," the workman replied, pushing his way past Yuffie. He carried a long wooden box into the apartment and set it down in the hall. "I also got three boxes of other crap in the lobby, you wanna help? I'll charge ya less," he offered.

"Yuffie, what is this?" Aerith asked, kneeling down to examine the box.

"Ah, Cloud's Christmas tree," Yuffie replied. "Except he's also so damn busy he never puts it up, that's always been my job. Didn't think he was gonna do it today though, he never tells me these things."

"Oh," Aerith nodded. Yuffie left and closed the apartment door behind her. Aerith looked over the box and flipped up the latch holding it closed, and pushed the lid up. A fake green Christmas tree lay in the box, branches folded up. Aerith reached in and discovered the tree was in three segments, and the top part came out of the box easily. She stood up and looked over the tree, then lifted her eyes to the apartment and bit her lip.

* * *

"You said to call you if we needed anything, Mr. Shinra," Cloud said into his cell phone as he walked down the snowy street. "Well, my partners and I would appreciate documentation of exactly who Shinra has bought land from in the past."

_"I fail to see how that is relevant, Mr. Strife,"_ Rufus replied on the line.

"It is not your place to question my methods, Mr. Shinra, now will you provide the information I've requested or not?" Cloud asked, looking up at the awning over a set of four glass doors. The word "Highwind" was written in elegant script on the blue awning in dark gold.

_"I will have to see what I can do, I will contact you when if I find anything," _Rufus said, irritated.

"Good, farewell," Cloud said, snapping his phone shut. He pushed open the door of the store and walked inside. Highwind's was a two-story toy store that sold all sorts of technological toys and merchandise, including a handful of computer and electronics. Naturally, it was busy for the day. Cloud went up to the nearest register at the front of the store and leaned over.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Cid, he's expecting me," he said. The cashier looked up and smiled.

"Oh, hello Mr. Strife. Yes, he's just back there in his office." She pointed to a section of the store, and Cloud nodded and started walking. The families walking about the store thinned out as Cloud reached a door that had been roped off. He slipped under the rope and pushed open the door marked "Employees Only".

"Fuck no!" a voice shouted from down the hall. Cloud smirked and kept walking until he found a door marked "Manager". He waited and listened.

"Three hundred thousand gil? I'm a toy store owner, not the fucking king of Wutai!" the man inside the office shouted. "Yeah?…The hell you talking about, I saw those designs!…we're obviously looking at different artworks! My kid in second grade does better shit than that! What…fuck you! You're fucking fired, take a hike!"

There was a bang as the man slammed the phone down, and Cloud took that as his cue to open the door to confront the middle-aged man sitting at his desk glaring at the telephone. The man had one a dark blue sweater with khaki-toned jeans and a pair of glasses pushed up onto his forehead

"Dammit, I need a smoke," he grumbled, tossing the glasses on his desk, standing up and grabbing his coat from the back of his chair. He noticed Cloud and waved. "Oh, hey spiky."

"Hello Cid," Cloud nodded. "How are things?"

"Fucking terrible!" Cid snarled, gesturing to the desk. Cloud stepped into the office and looked at the desk. Sketches and drawings of Cid's store in various states of festive decoration covered the surface. "I've been looking for an interior designer to decorate my store for the last month and I still ain't found one worth shit! It's less than two weeks until Christmas and my store ain't done up yet!"

"That's a problem," Cloud agreed. "Hey, remember when I saved your ass from that sexual harassment suit?"

"Fuck yeah, saved me half a million gil, stupid bitch," Cid replied, pulling on his coat. "Walk and talk, I need a cigarette." He pushed past Cloud into the hall.

"Well as I recall," Cloud began, following Cid down the hall and onto the floor of the store, "you also said you 'owed me big time', and if I ever needed a favor, just ask." Cid stopped at the entrance and eyed him suspiciously.

"What did ya do?" he muttered.

"Nothing," Cloud shrugged. "I have a friend who needs a job, you need a new cashier, right?"

"I pay and treat my employees like shit Cloud, who the hell would wanna work for me?" Cid said, walking outside and pulling a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket. "But hey, sure, it's Christmas, another worker can't hurt any. Tell me about this friend."

"Girl, about my age, pretty, nice, a little awkward," Cloud recited. "Her name is Aerith. Think you can put her to work?" Cid lit his cigarette as Cloud spoke.

"Aerith, huh? She sounds like half the girls in existence," Cid said, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Hell, sure, why not? Where is she?"

"She's at my place, she's staying with me," Cloud said. "I could bring her down sometime to meet you."

"Hell, take me to her, I always wanted to see your pad anyway," Cid replied. "You drive, right?"

"Yeah, but how can you meet her? Aren't you at work?" Cloud frowned. Cid let out a bark.

"Cloud, I own and manage the damn place, who the hell is gonna yell at me for taking off?"

* * *

"Nice digs," Cid nodded as he looked around, following Cloud down the hall to his apartment.

"I haven't had time to decorate yet, so don't be surprised to see it as it is the other eleven months of the year," Cloud warned, pulling out his key and sliding it into the lock.

"Hell, as long as I don't see a pair of panties hanging from the ceiling lamp, I'm good," Cid replied. Cloud smirked and unlocked the door, pushing it open.

"If you wanna wait here I'll go get…" Cloud trailed off as he walked inside, and his eyes went wide. "Her," he finished, dropping his key to the floor. Cid looked over his shoulder and whistled.

Streams of garland hung from the corners of Cloud's entertainment center, white and blue lights interwoven among the green. A covering of white fluff covered the entire top of the unit, and several Christmas figurines stood on top of the center with several small ceramic houses. A coffee table in the corner of the room had been moved to make room for a Christmas tree, which was currently bare but put up. Garland also hung from the arc to the dining room, with a sprig of mistletoe hanging from the center of the arc. An open wooden box with ornaments, tinsel and lights lay in front of the Christmas tree. On the wall over the sofa hung a wall hanging depicting an angel, and a few stuffed figures including a stuffed Santa Claus lay on the back of the sofa leaning against the wall.

"I thought you said you haven't had time to decorate," Cid muttered.

"I haven't," Cloud murmured, stepping into the apartment and looking around.

"Is someone there?" Cloud looked as the door to the guest room opened, and Aerith emerged. "Oh, Cloud!" she gasped. "I wasn't sure when you'd be home."

"Aerith?" Cloud whispered, staring. The homeless flower girl had been transformed. Aerith had on the same red coat she had been wearing the night he found her, but it had clearly been washed because it was much more bright and vibrant than before. Her hair had been tied into a long braid, with her bangs falling on either side of her face. She had on a long, form-fitting pink dress that reached her ankles, and still had on her brown boots. Aerith noticed Cloud's stare and blushed.

"Oh, yeah," she said softly. "Yuffie took me to some sort of day spa…I'm still getting used to this every time I look at a mirror," she chuckled slightly.

"Ah, you're Aerith?" Cid asked, pushing past Cloud, who was still staring at the apartment and the woman who had decorated it. "You decorated spiky's place then?"

"Well, I had just wanted to set the tree up," Aerith began. "But then I saw all the garland and extra lights and knew there would be more than enough, so I started wondering what to do with all of it. And, well…" Aerith spread her hands. "Sorry, I guess I got carried away. Yuffie said it would be alright." Cid grinned.

"Honey, what would you consider a large sum of gil?" he asked. Aerith thought.

"Um…ten thousand gil? Why?"

"Ten thousand, I spend that much on lunch!" Cid waved his hand. "I'll pay ya _twenty_ thousand gil if you can make the windows of my store look have as damn good as this!"

"What?" Aerith's eyes went wide, and the exclamation broke Cloud out of his stupor.

"Yeah, what?" he repeated. Cid turned to him.

"Cloud, I told ya, I've looked at like, a dozen designers and not one of them could do half as good as this!" he replied. "Fuck the cashier job, I want her to do the designing! Aerith, what's your education, degree, diploma, whatever?"

"Um…no?" Aerith held up her hands. Cid laughed.

"Ah, whatever your education, you got a good eye girl! You ever done interior designing before?"

"No. I just held up a decoration, looked at the room and figured out where and how it would look best."

"Simple and effective, I like that," Cid grinned. "We gotta talk, you come to the store tomorrow, we'll have a chat."

"Sure, but…who are you?" Aerith asked.

"Cid Highwind, I own the toy store downtown, except the place needs a Christmas touch and bad. You up for it?" Cid replied.

"You own _Highwind_? Oh my god, I love that store, I used to always love your Christmas displays!" Aerith cried.

"Well, this year you can design it," Cid decided.

"Aerith, you sure about this?" Cloud asked.

"Hey, you told me to put her to work!"

"I meant as a cashier!"

"Too bad, she's got way too much taste for a cashier," Cid threw an arm around Aerith's shoulder. "Aerith, I don't always say this to people I just met. Hell, I don't say it to a lot of people I know. But hey, I like your style."

"Thanks," Aerith said nervously.

"So, hey, spiky," Cid said, turning his attention back to Cloud. "You're the one putting up the room for her, so you said. You on board with this?" Cloud looked at the room one more time, then back at Aerith.

"Sure," Cloud nodded. Aerith beamed.

"I'll be right back, I was checking lights in my room," Aerith said, going back to the guest room. Cid shook his head as she closed the door.

"Ain't this just gorgeous?" he asked, looking at the scene Aerith had set up on the entertainment unit.

"Yeah, she is."

"I was talking about the room, Cloud."

"I wasn't."

**I wanted to finish this by Christmas, but I'm a horrible procrastinatior. There will likely be six or seven chapters total, and I'll try to finish this by New Year's. Merry Christmas!**


	5. Chapter 5: Tifa

Christmas Flower

**Sorry guys, like I said – I'm a horrible procrastinator. This chapter was tricky to write because it's mostly filler, but the next chapter will be up on the weekend because it's the second-to-last one and wraps up a lot of things.**

**BTW, happy new year!**

Chapter 5: Tifa

"So how was work today?" Cloud asked, popping a meatball in his mouth. Across from him, Aerith shrugged.

"Cid loves the Christmas village scene I set up on the second floor, but he's not entirely happy with the tree decorations," she replied. "He's in love with the window designs, says they're the best he's had in years." Aerith began twirling a few spaghetti strands around her fork as Cloud chewed and swallowed.

"So you're happy there?" Cloud asked carefully.

"Yeah, Cid treats me alright. I mean, he curses a lot, but I think that's just his way," Aerith said. Cloud nodded. It had been a little over a week since Aerith had entered his life, and the two had settled into a routine of sorts. Cloud left before Aerith in the morning, but she wasn't there when he got home and came home about an hour later. Cloud would cook diner and Aerith would arrive home just as it was ready.

Cloud was still getting used to the idea of a roommate. He had lived on his own ever since he had moved from his mother's home nearly a decade ago. But while the feeling was strange and foreign, Cloud was discovering it wasn't a bad one at all. It was nice having someone there in the evening to talk to, seeing as how Yuffie only came during the day and was gone when he got home. Plus, there was the feeling of waiting for Aerith to come home, and the daily anticipation of that wasn't unpleasant either.

_"I like having her around, I guess_," Cloud thought, chewing his food. He did, Aerith was sweet and she always came home excited and cheerful. Her nervousness around him had faded once she had accepted the reality that she was being given the chance to lead something of a normal life. According to the phone conversation he had had with Cid the other day, Aerith was working hard on the displays around the store and was otherwise learning cashier work on the side. Cid had said that he had no problem hiring Aerith permanently as a cashier, if she continued to do displays on the side for him for the holidays and special occasions.

"What do you think?" Cloud lifted his head as Aerith spoke, and realized she had kept talking while he had drifted off into thought.

"I'm sorry, pardon?" he replied.

"I said, Cid says there's a special investment account being offered at Nibel Banking," Aerith repeated. "Apparently if you hold down a job for more than fifteen weeks, you can apply for a home loan for a down payment for an apartment and furniture. With what Cid's paying me, if I stay there long enough I can qualify for the loan and pay it off easily within a year or so."

"Apartment?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah," Aerith nodded. "Don't get me wrong Cloud, I'd practically kiss your feet for letting me stay here on top of everything. But I can't stay here forever, right? Cid said he might be willing to let me shack up in an unused office after the holidays if I stay on the staff at the store."

"Oh…okay," Cloud mumbled, lowering his eyes. Aerith sighed and reached over to pat the back of his hand.

"Hey, don't be like that," she soothed. "I'll come around to visit all the time, no worries about that."

"Right," Cloud said. Aerith stood up and smiled down at him as she carried her plate into the kitchen. Cloud pushed his last meatball around his plate with his fork, furrowing his brow.

* * *

"She's even talking about taking out a loan for an apartment," Cloud muttered, taking a drink of his coffee. Across from him in the small restaurant he was eating his lunch in, Tifa shrugged slightly. Beside her, Sephiroth observed the conversation silently as he ate his salad, green eyes glancing up now and then.

"That's good though, Cloud. She's thinking about her future," she replied. "What's wrong with that?" Cloud mumbled something into his coffee. "What?" Tifa asked.

"What's wrong is that I'm not part of it!" Cloud said louder, lifting his head. Tifa smiled slightly at Cloud's confession.

"So, that's it," she said. "You don't want her to go, hm?"

"Is that so wrong?" Cloud replied. "I just got so used to having her around so easily…I don't want to get used to not having her around again."

"If you're so smitten over her, say so," Tifa replied. "Come on Cloud, you haven't had a girlfriend in like, forever."

"It hasn't been that long," Cloud grumbled, sipping his coffee again.

"As of nine PM tonight, it will have been six years, four months and twenty-three days," Sephiroth listed. Cloud and Tifa turned to stare at the silver-haired lawyer. "I remember these things," he said simply.

"Your point?" Cloud asked, taking another drink. Tifa leaned over the table.

"The point is you need to go out and _get laid_ once in a while!" she hissed. Cloud's eyes widened as he coughed on his coffee, putting down the cup. "Really, Cloud. Just tell Aerith you like her and don't want her to move out."

"I can't do that."

"Sure you can, it's easy, watch," Tifa held up her hand and moved it like a mouth. "Just say 'Aerith, you're cute and I like you, please don't move out'. Simple."

"She has a point, Cloud," Sephiroth said. "Just speak to her and ask her to stay with you."

"No. I'm just her friend and benefactor, she's not interested in me like that. Besides, how am I supposed to stand in the way of her building a new life for herself just because I happen to find her attractive?"

"Well that's her choice to make. Besides, how do you know she doesn't feel that away about you?" Tifa asked.

"I don't know, but if you think-" Cloud stopped himself as he watched Tifa stand up and sling her coat over her shoulder. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Well, if you don't know what she thinks of you," Tifa replied, grabbing her purse, "then allow me to find out for you."

"H-hey!" Cloud protested as Tifa walked out. He moved to follow her, when the waitress approached the table.

"Would you like your bill now sir?" she asked. Cloud looked up at her and sat back down.

"Dammit," he muttered, grabbing his fork. Sephiroth watched Tifa exit the restaurant.

"Would it truly be so terrible for you to voice your attraction to her?" Sephiroth asked as the waitress left. Cloud finished his pasta and set his fork down.

"Well, no, not really. But she already feels obligated to me, if I tell her I've got the hots for her or something, she'll feel even worse. It's for the best."

"Hmph," Sephiroth grunted, going back to his salad.

"Beyond that, I need your help. You said you have a cousin who knows the history of the town, right?" Cloud asked, pulling on his coat.

"Yes."

"Call him up and see if I can get access to his records," Cloud said. "I'm gonna try and see if I can track down Aerith's family records. Maybe she has some distant cousin alive somewhere, who knows?"

"I can call him and ask him to look," Sephiroth nodded. "What is her full name?"

"Aerith Ilfana Gainsborough!" Cloud called as he rushed out of the restaurant after Tifa. The salad fork stilled as Sephiroth turned to stare at where Cloud had been.

"Gainsborough…" he murmured, narrowing his eyes. "Why do I know that name?"

"Thank you for shopping at Highwind's!" Aerith smiled, handing the woman her bags. The woman nodded and rushed out of the store, and Aerith sighed and turned to look at the clock. It was almost one o'clock. "Shera, tell Cid I'm taking my lunch now," she said to the cashier on the lane beside hers. Shera nodded as Aerith untied the store apron and walked in the back of the store. She hung the apron in her locker in the change room and pulled out her jacket. Aerith smoothed out a wrinkle in a pink sweater she had one and put on her jacket. True to their words, Cloud had financed a mini-shopping spree for her, and Yuffie had taken her out and gotten her several new outfits to wear. As per her request though, Yuffie had allowed her to keep her mother's jacket, although Aerith had relinquished it for the day since it was snowing and the jacket was too small for her.

Aerith pulled on the light blue jacket Yuffie had bought and walked back out into the store. The snowfall from early that morning had lightened a bit, and Aerith smiled as she saw Yuffie waiting at the entrance to take her to lunch. The girl's bouncy energy got a bit overbearing at times, but she had to admit, Yuffie had grown on her.

"Yo, come on!" Yuffie called, crossing her arms. Aerith rolled her eyes as she walked over to her and followed her outside. "So, where to?" Yuffie asked.

"I'm feeling like…something different," Aerith shrugged. "You mind pizza?"

"Mind it? In college I existed on a diet of pizza, Pepsi and dipping sauce," Yuffie scoffed. "Come on, it's downtown Midgar, walk two blocks in any direction and you'll find a pizza place of some kind." Yuffie and Aerith began walking, and after a moment Yuffie spoke again. "So, what's this I hear you're running out on us?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's gonna take a while and some work but I hope to find an apartment early in the new year," Aerith nodded.

"And here I assumed you were gonna stay with us," Yuffie huffed. "Why bother moving out anyway, Cloud doesn't mind you sticking around."

"Cloud's done so much for me already, Yuffie. He's paid for clothes, got me a job and agreed to let me stay until the end of the month," Aerith listed. "It just wouldn't be right to impose on him like that."

"You're not imposing on anyone, honey, Cloud likes having you around," Yuffie said.

"Yeah right, I'm just the homeless flower girl he's helping out," Aerith said.

"Oh no you're not! You know what he told me a few days ago? He said he was giving me a raise because I made you look beautiful at the spa," Yuffie replied.

"He did not say that!" Aerith cried, blushing.

"He did so!" Yuffie insisted. "What do you think?" Aerith thought.

"Well…he is really handsome," she said after a moment. "And he's practically a saint to do all this for me…Yuffie, I don't know."

"It can't hurt to try," Yuffie encouraged. "Besides, you two are already living together, he's cooking for you, you said he was taking you to dinner for Christmas Eve. You're already meeting eighty percent of the requirements for what makes a couple. All you two need to do is lip-lock once in a while and it's a done deal."

"Yuffie!" Aerith's blush flared up again.

"Tis the season for mistletoe," Yuffie teased. "Come on Aerith, make some sort of move before I duct tape you two together. I'll do it, I told you I've been to college, you'll wake up tomorrow connected at the hips."

"Well…I was going to get him a Christmas present, but I'm not sure what he'd like," Aerith said. "You have any idea what I could get him for Christmas?"

"One thing comes to mind, but you're already blushing so I won't mention it," Yuffie said coyly. "Seriously, not really. I talk to him now and then but I don't pay attention to his hobbies much."

"Well, you've known him longer than I have, what does he like?"

"You."

"We've already covered that."

"Ask Sephiroth or Tifa then, they work with the guy, they spend a lot more time with him than I do," Yuffie said. Aerith smiled.

"That's a good idea!" she nodded. "I'll call them up sometime tomorrow. Who would you recommend I talk to, Sephiroth or Tifa?"

"Well, Tifa has known Cloud longer, but Sephiroth knows Cloud more in the professional sense," Yuffie thought aloud. "It's up to you." Yuffie's phone rang, and she stopped and pulled it from her pocket. "Hello?"

_"Yuffie, it's Tifa. Where are you?"_ Tifa asked on the other line.

"Going to lunch with Aerith, why?"

_"Take five steps away from her,"_ Tifa ordered. Yuffie gave Aerith a strange look and walked five steps back.

"Okay, what's up?" Yuffie whispered, turning away from Aerith.

_"I need you to do a little recon for me. Cloud likes her, think you can casually bring up the idea of her liking him, see what she says?"_ Tifa asked. Yuffie giggled.

"Way ahead of ya."

_"Well?"_

"Hang some mistletoe in the right doorway and they're good to go."

_"I thought as much. Any ideas?"_

"Some, we'll chat later, kay?"

_"Right, later. Bye."_ Tifa hung up, and Yuffie slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"What was that about?" Aerith asked as Yuffie walked back to her. Yuffie smiled innocently.

"Oh, nothing."


	6. Chapter 6: Sephiroth

Christmas Flower

Chapter 6: Sephiroth

Sephiroth dialed as he waited impatiently for the elevator. He finished the number and hit the Send button, then lifted the cell phone to his ear. It rang three times before it picked up, by which time he had boarded the elevator. As a mutual agreement between him, Cloud and Tifa, the trio closed the office on Christmas Eve until the new year, giving their employees a week-long holiday. Today was the twenty-third, and Sephiroth had business that couldn't wait for tomorrow.

_"Hello?"_ The phone clicked.

"Hello, Aunt Elmyra," Sephiroth replied, pushing the button for the lobby on the elevator panel. "It's Sephiroth."

_"Oh good, I was just thinking of you," _Elmyra said. _"Sephiroth, tell me, do you still wear your hair long?"_

"Yes, why?"

_"No reason, just making sure you could use my gift," _Elmyra said coyly. Sephiroth frowned. His aunt had bizarre taste in gifts. Whatever gift she got him that required long hair, he was sure would end up stowed in a box in his closet. His mother's sister was nothing if not unorthodox. Sephiroth silently thanked God that Lucrecia had not been so strange.

"Good. Aunt Elmyra, I don't have time to socialize, I am calling on a matter of great importance," Sephiroth said.

_"Oh dear. When you say it's important, it must be bad. Is it bad?" _Elmyra asked, all traces of humor in her voice gone.

"I've not yet decided if this is bad _or_ good," Sephiroth replied, stepping off the elevator. "I'm afraid my childhood memories are lacking, so I need your help. Do you recall when mother and father had their…ah, 'rough patch'?"

_"Oh…yes, I do," _Elmyra replied.

"Good. I need to know her name and all you know about her."

_"Which 'her' would that be?"_

"You know the one."

_"…oh, _that_ her."_

"Yes, that one."

* * *

Cloud rapped his fingers against the wood of the table as he waited. He looked at his watch and let out a small growl. Six minutes now. He looked back up at the clock, and it gave the same result. Cloud rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair as he waited for Rufus. Tifa was busy meeting with another client before the office closed for the holidays tomorrow, and Sephiroth said he had family business to take care of. So he once again was left alone to handle the Shinra vice-president and his enormous ego and wallet.

The door clicked open, and Cloud lifted cerulean eyes to meet colder, darker ones. Rufus smiled at him as he threw his coat over the back of the chair opposite Cloud and set a briefcase on the table.

"Good afternoon," Rufus said, sitting down.

"And you are nearly seven minutes late for our meeting because…?" Cloud asked, irritated.

"Traffic," Rufus shrugged innocently. "My apologies." He sat down and clicked open his briefcase as Cloud waited. The day was almost done and he was eager to get home. He had gifts for his friends and family to wrap that evening. Come to think of it, he'd been meaning to get Aerith a gift, but his spare time and searches through the city had not been successful. Cloud made a mental note to find something tomorrow as Rufus slid a stack of papers towards him.

"I hope this is to your liking," Rufus said as Cloud took the papers. "Extensive documentation of all land deeds Shinra has bought, including names, the price paid, and the date of the transaction, among other details."

"It's suitable," Cloud nodded, looking over the list. "I simply wish to investigate Shinra's business practices thoroughly before we take on your case."

"Oh, please," Rufus snorted. "If you wanted to know _that_, you could have just asked. Shinra Inc. supplies the owner of the land it buys with considerable settlement fees. We also pay for the owner to move to a new residence and…"

Cloud silently tuned Rufus out as he read the list. He had to admit, he had been looking for a crack in Shinra's armor to deny them, but they seemed legitimate after all. The names were real, the sums were presumably real, and the dates went back to when Shinra had started. Cloud looked over the names, wondering if any of them were people he knew. Rosa Farrell, Edgar Figaro, Ilfana Gainsborough, Kuja Genome, Ingus…

"What?" Cloud hissed, his eyes widening. Rufus, not realizing Cloud wasn't listening to him, huffed.

"I said, we consider the placement for our plants with the utmost caution and attention to local business…" Rufus repeated. Cloud looked back up at the list and re-read the name and the information tabbed under it.

Ilfana Gainsborough. The sale of her property was finalized on April 23, 1993. The sale went for two hundred and fifty thousand gil. Cloud read the name once more to make sure it said what he thought it said.

_"They offered mom a good settlement and to pay for moving expenses if she sold the home to them. We were going to lose the house anyway, so mom took the offer…the company didn't give her the settlement, found a legal loophole or something. Whatever they did, mom didn't get a cent, and when we couldn't pay for the house we had to leave…"_

"Aerith…" Cloud whispered, the flower girl's words circling his head like some bird of ill omen. Cloud's hand shook slightly as he carefully set the paper back on top of the stack and slid it back across the table.

"There was one occasion, in Wutai, when they didn't want Shinra to open a plant, but negotiations went quite-"

"No," Cloud muttered, lifting his eyes to glare at Rufus.

"Excuse me?" the Shinra vice-president replied, confused. "Did you just interrupt me, Mr. Strife?"

"Yes, to inform you that you have nothing to say I want to hear," Cloud said coldly. "Mr. Shinra, I strongly suggest you collect your belonging and leave now. F.S.L. will have no dealings in any court case with Shinra, unless we become prosecutors."

"I beg your pardon?" Rufus growled, standing up.

"Are you deaf as well as a liar?" Cloud shot back. "Leave, now. We will not be taking your case, not now or ever. Get out of my office."

"I will not be spoken to in such a manner!" Rufus snarled, slamming a fist on the desk.

"And I will remind you, Mr. Shinra, this building _does_ have security," Cloud said, standing up. "You found your way here alright, but perhaps you need help to find your way out?" Rufus gritted his teeth, and let out a grunt as he snatched the paperwork from the desk and stuffed it unceremoniously in the briefcase, clicking it shut.

"You have made a grave error in crossing me today, Mr. Strife," Rufus said, sweeping his coat through the air and over his shoulders. "Be sure I shall not forget this insult."

"I'd have it no other way," Cloud nodded curtly. Rufus gave him a final sneer before spinning and marching out of the room.

* * *

Aerith flipped the page of her book, furrowing her brow. She tried to concentrate on the words, but it wasn't working and she closed the book in frustration. Cid had let her have the day and tomorrow off for the Christmas season since she had done a good job with the store, and she had planned to spend the day shopping for a gift for Cloud. It wasn't going well, she had no idea what to buy him. Sure they lived together, but when it came to gift ideas, Aerith was coming up short. She had already bought something for Yuffie, but had no clue what Cloud would want.

There was a knock on the apartment door, and Aerith lifted her head. Yuffie had her own key, and Cloud didn't usually get visitors during the day. Who would it be? She stood up and crossed to the door, peering through the peephole. Aerith frowned as she saw who it was and slid the chain back from the door.

"Hello?" Aerith asked, confused.

"Hello, Aerith," Sephiroth returned the greeting, nodding slightly. "Are you busy at the moment?"

"Not particularly, why?" Aerith said.

"Please, put on your shoes and coat. There is something I must show you right away," Sephiroth said. "My car is waiting downstairs."

"What is it, is Cloud hurt?" Aerith asked urgently.

"No, he's fine. But all the same it is important you come with me. You must see this."

Aerith nodded after a moment and went back inside the apartment to grab her coat. She had only met Sephiroth and Tifa on two occasions thus far, but Cloud had told her about them. Sephiroth rarely joked around or said anything he didn't mean. If he had something important to show her, it had to be big. Aerith pulled her coat over her pink sweater and blue jeans, and then shoved her feet into her boots. She went back to the door and looked up at Sephiroth.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

Aerith looked out the window of Sephiroth's car as trees zoomed by. The lawyer's light silver 2008 M-Zolom had left the city that she knew about five minutes ago, leading them into the countryside. She glanced back at Sephiroth, trying to figure out what he was doing. Sephiroth was stone-faced, staring ahead and keeping his eyes on the road. After a few moments he seemed to notice her attention and turned a slim green eye towards her.

"Where are we going?" Aerith asked. Sephiroth kept watching her for a moment before turning back to the road.

"East Midgar Cemetery," he said. Aerith sat back, and resumed looking out the window, confused. Sephiroth's hand on the steering wheel tightened, and he looked back at her.

"Aerith, what do you know about your father?" he asked. Aerith gave him a strange look.

"Well, my mom said he died while she was pregnant with me," she started. "She said he was a brilliant and loving man, and she loved him deeply. But she didn't talk about him much, said it hurt."

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed slightly as he slowed down and clicked on his blinker, turning off the road and onto the gravel road that lead into East Midgar Cemetery. Aerith looked over the rows of gravestones as Sephiroth drove, noting that he seemed to know exactly where he was going. Finally, he slowed to a stop and removed his keys from the ignition.

"We're here," he said simply, removing his seatbelt. Aerith followed suit and swung her door open, stepping from the car. Sephiroth slammed his door and lifted a hand to wave Aerith forward. She walked around the car and followed as Sephiroth began walking into the field of graves.

"_My_ father, Aerith, was many things. He was a thinker, a philosopher, a scientist, and a loving father and husband. However, he was strong only in his mind, in his heart, he was considerably weaker." Sephiroth spoke quietly as he led Aerith to the destination only he knew, the flower girl following behind him and listening intently.

"When I was a child, only three or four years old, my parents were in a car accident. My father emerged unharmed, but my mother had a broken leg. She was rehabilitated and healed in time. But the following months were hard on them both, or so my aunt tells me. My mother openly blamed my father for her injury, and in his guilt and frustration he became distant from her."

"Sephiroth, why are you telling me these things?" Aerith asked. Sephiroth stopped walking and turned to face her.

"My father, in his time of anxiety, did something that continues to shame me, as his son. He began courting another woman while with my mother. Their courtship only lasted a month, or so he told my family, but during that time he felt an emotional kinship with this woman he no longer felt with my mother. He eventually realized what he was doing and broke it off, and he and my mother attended counseling. However, the month he spent with that woman…well, that is why I've brought you here."

Sephiroth watched Aerith, then turned his head and looked at something to the side. Aerith turned to see where he was looking, and her breath hitched. Sephiroth's eyes turned back to her as Aerith slowly stepped forward, her eyes transfixed on the large gravestone a few feet away, two names carved on it in large font. The female name, Aerith knew had to be Sephiroth's mother; Lucrecia Crescent Faremis. And, beside her name…

Here lies Gast James Faremis.

"Tha…that's…that's my…" Aerith gasped, falling to her knees before the stone. Sephiroth stepped behind her and shook his head.

"No, Aerith," he corrected gently. "That's _my_ father."

Aerith's head whirled around, and she stared at Sephiroth wide-eyed. She slowly climbed to her feet.

"But…then…you're my, my broth…"

"Half-brother, to be exact," Sephiroth said, nodding his head. "Your mother did tell the truth Aerith. Our father is dead, now, but he was alive when you were born. According to my aunt, she agreed to raise you alone, so as not to interfere with father's marriage. The family never heard from her again after she told us she was pregnant."

Aerith continued staring at him, then lunged forward. Sephiroth grunted as she impacted his chest and wrapped her arms around him, tears leaking onto his coat. He sighed and looked down at her.

"I am not one to take public displays of affection well," he warned. Aerith smiled between sobs and patted a hand on his back.

"That's okay, we'll work on that," she replied, sniffing.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Sephiroth said sharply. Aerith didn't respond. Sephiroth settled for another sigh and let it slide. For a few moments, the cemetery was silent save for a few small sobs and sniffs.

"Seriously, that's enough, stop it."


	7. Chapter 7: Finale

Christmas Flower

**Just a thought – ever notice how Sephiroth and Aerith **_**do**_** look like they could be related? I blame the identical hairstyles. Don't believe me, take a peek at their artwork again.**

**I also swipe a quote from "That 70's Show" here. Sue me, it's fun and it fit. :p**

**Also, I'm gonna be starting a Dissidia fic soon! It's gonna be a CloudxTerra pairing though, sorry Clerith fans. But the flower girl will still play a big part of the story, even if she isn't actually in it. Stay tuned to author alerts for more details!**

**Anyway, enjoy this final chapter. I had planned an epilogue as well, but the more I thought about it the more tacked-on the idea seemed, since this ties up the story well as-is. So sorry I couldn't finish this in time for Christmas, but here it is nonetheless!**

Chapter 7: Finale

"See anything?" Tifa asked. Cloud finished browsing the clothing rack and reached in. He pulled out a slim sleeveless blue dress and held it up for Tifa's inspection.

"Think she'd like this?" he asked, desperate.

"Cloud, you live with her, whereas I've met her twice for less than ten minutes at a time. Why ask me?"

Cloud growled slightly and put the dress back. Yes, he lived with Aerith. And yet he'd been making his way around town for the better part of three hours that morning and so far not a single item he had seen, be it clothing, technology or jewelry, seemed to be a good gift idea for her. And it was driving him insane.

"Cloud, just do what I do for my cousin, grab a card, sign your name and slap a couple gil notes in it," Tifa advised as Cloud left the fourth clothing store he had visited so far.

"Because I want to get a good gift for her, not just hand her some money," Cloud explained. "Something that says how I really feel about her."

"You mean like an engagement ring?"

"Tifa, you're my friend, but if you say that again I'll be forced to harm you."

Tifa smirked. Cloud had roped her in to going gift-shopping for Aerith with him, somehow believing that, as they were both women, Tifa had access to some sort of secret "woman-code" that would let her know exactly what type of present Aerith would like. So far, it wasn't working out for him. It didn't help that she was out buying for him now with Sephiroth. Knowing them they probably already had the perfect gifts for him already bought, home and wrapped.

The knowledge that the two of them were brother and sister had been a shock to him, although in hindsight Cloud had to admit there was a subtle family resemblance. Sephiroth had no intention to meddle in Aerith's life, sister or no she was still a young woman with a mind of her own. All the same, he had expressed a genuine desire to be a part of her life, something that Cloud hadn't expected. He knew Sephiroth wasn't heartless, but he hadn't expected him to take the idea of being a brother so readily.

"Cloud, how about before we find the gift that tells her how you feel, you figure out just _how_ you feel, hm?" Tifa said. Cloud stopped and closed his eyes. "Or, how about I take a wild guess at how you feel?" Tifa continued, crossing her arms. "Does it start with an 'L' and end with a 'ove'?"

"…I think so, maybe," Cloud mumbled.

"Uh, Cloud, I was joking."

"I'm not."

Tifa whistled slightly as she put a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"Really?"

"Yeah…Tifa, I've known her for less than a month, and I can't imagine my life without her anymore. I'm telling her, tomorrow night. I can't let her leave me. I know she wants to start her own life, but I don't care anymore. I'm not going to _not_ speak up about what I feel, not when there's the slightest chance she could feel the same," Cloud said.

"Alright, good," Tifa nodded. "For what it's worth, I'm sure she does. With all you've done for her Cloud, she'd have to be made of stone to not feel anything for you. And that's exactly the opposite of who Aerith is."

"I know," Cloud said, beginning to walk again. "That's why I have to show her what she means to me. I don't care how expensive or inexpensive it is, but it has to be perfect."

"Well, any idea what this perfect gift could be?" Tifa asked. Cloud turned his head to reply, and did a double take.

"Yeah," he murmured, walking to a window display on the street. He stared in awe at the item displayed in the window. "That's it…" he whispered. "That'd be perfect, Tifa she'd love it!"

"Cloud, take a look at the price tag," Tifa advised. Cloud took her advice and turned his eyes to the tag.

"Oh. Hm."

"Fifteen thousand gil and that's your reaction?" Tifa asked in disbelief. "Cloud, that is _way_ too expensive."

"I have to disagree," Cloud replied, pushing open the door to the store.

* * *

"I live with him for half a month and have no idea what to buy him," Aerith huffed, scanning the mall map and the list of stores underneath.

"Surely you must have some inclination of what he would like," Sephiroth said, watching her. Aerith crouched down and kept scanning the list.

"Well, let's see…he watches movies, but that's nothing special, a DVD or two. He collects coins a little bit, but he doesn't really consider it a full hobby. Hmm….this is hard!" Aerith thought out loud. "What are you getting him?"

"My gift to Cloud is of no consequence to you."

"Can't think of anything either huh?"

"No, and you need not inform him of such."

Aerith smiled slightly. Sephiroth had agreed to come with her on her shopping trip for a Christmas gift for Cloud, figuring that since he knew him longer than she did, Sephiroth would have a good idea what type of gift Cloud would like. But Sephiroth had been of little help to her.

The revelation that she had a brother after all these years was still settling in her. She and Sephiroth had spent several hours the previous day comparing notes about what they knew about their father and their separate mothers. Sephiroth had agreed to introduce her to his aunt and her husband after the holidays passed. She may not have been related to them by blood, but they were the closest thing to family she had. Well, besides Sephiroth himself, of course.

"There has to be something, pick a store," Aerith ordered. Sephiroth looked over the map and pointed to a random numbered spot on it.

"Store 123. What store is that?" he asked. Aerith found the number on the directory.

"Chronicles, a book store," Aerith said.

"Acceptable," Sephiroth decided, walking towards the store. Aerith stood and followed him through the crowd, following the path he was weaving through the people. Dressed in a long black coat with a silver tie and his piercing gaze, the crowd naturally parted for him. In her somewhat more modest jeans, T-shirt and red winter jacket, Aerith didn't have the same gift, as she was discovering as she got bumped and pushed. Finally, she ducked out of the Christmas Eve rush to see Sephiroth standing before the store, looking up at the sign.

It was a modest thing, the store. It was lit but not brightly, with shelves along the walls, a single shelf in the center of the store, and the counter and register at the front. The clerk, an older woman with thick glasses, looked up as Sephiroth passed through the door and smiled. The smile vanished as Aerith followed him.

"Can I help you with something, young lady?" she asked, watching her.

"Just browsing," Aerith replied softly, looking over the shelves.

"I'll doubt you'll find much," the woman said, turning back to her book. As Aerith began to inspect the books, she found her claim to be true. Most of the books here were old, dusty classics that looked like they had been published decades ago. The tags had been attached to the shelf under the book. Aerith leaned in to examine a book titled _The Lost King,_ and whistled at the price.

"Sephiroth, I can't shop here," she hissed as he rounded the shelves.

"Why not?" he asked, carefully picking up a book and examining it. "They have an excellent selection and good taste."

"That book you're holding is worth more than I am," Aerith said. Sephiroth lifted his eyes to the tag where the book was on the shelf.

"So it is," he mused, placing it back. Aerith rolled her eyes and looked back to the shelves. "Do not concern yourself with pricing," Sephiroth advised. Aerith looked over and narrowed her eyes. She kneeled to a lower shelf and carefully picked up a book.

"I recognize the title somehow…" she mused, reading it. Sephiroth looked down.

"Ah, I know that one. _The Rise and Fall of Gestahl_," he said. "It's a book about a man who seeks power to establish a new, benevolent government, and ends up becoming a tyrannous emperor who is overthrown by his own generals. Cloud wrote his thesis about the corruption of men and their justifications using that book as his base."

"That's it!" Aerith cried. "I remember now, Cloud told me about it, he read it in high school and it became his favorite book, that's why he did his thesis on it! But he said he could never find his own copy!"

"So you have found something suitable for a gift, then?" Sephiroth asked. A beaming Aerith stood up and looked up at him.

"Yes, I have."

* * *

Aerith opened her eyes as sunlight peeked through the window blinds. She yawned and sat up, scratching her hair. Christmas Day. Cloud had said that as part of an annual tradition, Sephiroth was hosting their annual get-together at his home. Last year it had been at Tifa's, next year was it Cloud's turn. There was a light knock on the door, and a moment later, Cloud peeked his head inside.

"Awake, hm?" he asked. "Did you want to have breakfast first, or open your gift? I've been up for about fifteen minutes now."

"I'm sure my stomach can wait a few minutes, I'm good," Aerith replied, standing up from the bed. Cloud lead her out into the living room and sat on the sofa. Clad in her pajamas, Aerith sat beside him and reached under the tree, pulling out a thin present.

"Here you are," she said, holding it out to him. Cloud smiled at her and took it, pulling off the wrapping paper to reveal a package wrapped in light brown paper. Aerith watched as Cloud pulled off the paper, and his eyes went wide.

"Yo…you…how did you find this?" he asked, turning the book over.

"My secret," Aerith said sweetly. "Do you like it?"

"Of course!" Cloud cried. "My god…I took out this book like, every month from the library in high school, I practically had it memorized. I'd looked for my own copy for years, but I could never find it!"

"I know," Aerith giggled. Cloud shook his head with a smile as he flipped through the book.

"Wow…" he whispered, stopping at a page. "It's just as I remember….thank you."

"No problem," Aerith said as Cloud set the book down on the table. He stood up and walked over to the tree, withdrawing a long, shallow box from inside the branches.

"Here, I hope you like it," he said, holding it out. Aerith took the box and pulled open the edges, then slid the paper off the white box. She put a hand on the lid and lifted it off.

"I…" Aerith led the lid drop from her hand, and it made a small sound as it hit the floor. She lifted a shaking hand and reached into the box. Inside lay a long, thin silver chain with a small silver setting hanging from it. In the setting was nestled a small, slightly luminous green orb.

"Do you like it?" Cloud asked hopefully.

"It's gorgeous…yes…" Aerith whispered, lifting the pendant from the box and examining it. "Is that a jewel, jade?"

"A pearl, actually, green pearl."

"It's lovely. But, Cloud, I can't accept this."

"Well, to be blunt, it's a gift, so you don't have a choice," Cloud replied.

"I…don't know what to say," Aerith admitted, examining the beautiful item dangling from her fingertips.

"Well, I don't think 'thank you' would be an inappropriate response," Cloud said. Aerith smiled and looked at him.

"Thank you," she said at last. Cloud nodded.

"Come here, I wants to see how it looks on you," he said, holding out his hand. Aerith took it and Cloud pulled her to her feet, and led her to the mirror on the wall. He took the pendant from her as Aerith stood in front of the mirror. Behind her, Cloud pulled back the catch for the clasp and slid the pendant around Aerith's neck. He hooked the end of the chain in the clasp and let it move shut. Aerith looked at herself in the mirror and lifted a hand to run it along the curve of the pearl nestled against her chest.

"It's beautiful," she said, blushing slightly. Cloud looked down at it.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. Aerith's eyes widened, and she turned her head. Cloud was there, and before she could even attempt to reply, he moved his head forward and captured her lips in a kiss. It was quick, and before Aerith could even register it had happened, Cloud pulled back. Aerith gaped at him for a moment.

"What…what was that for?" she asked.

"I've been waiting to do that ever since I saw you. Because I meant what I just said," Cloud said, holding her gaze. "Aerith, please. I know you have a family now, I know you're building a life for yourself, and I know I have no right to tell you what to do. But I…I…like you. Like, _like,_ like you."

"So…you're in like with me?"

"Aerith, I'm in…" Cloud settled for kissing her again, cupping his hands on her face. This time Aerith realized what was happening and reciprocated his ministrations, grabbing onto his shoulder as she leaned up. Cloud pulled back and once again cut the kiss short.

"Please, stay," he pleaded quietly.

"I wasn't going anywhere, not until later."

"No, I mean, _stay_. With me," Cloud repeated. Aerith blinked as she realized what he meant.

"H, how long?" she asked.

"As long as you can put up with me," Cloud replied, rubbing a thumb on her cheek. Aerith slowly smiled.

"I'll see what I can do," she said, leaning up to kiss him again.

_Fin_


End file.
